New light has been thrown on papacy, says Cardinal Kasper
Role of the pope needs to be 'rethought'
20 February, 12:56
(ANSA) - Rome, February 20 - The resignation of Pope
Benedict XVI has thrown new light on the papacy, Cardinal Walter
Kasper said in an interview with Italy's leading newspaper
Corriere della Sera Wednesday.Kasper, chairman of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, told the daily that "the essence, the nature of the ministry given by Jesus cannot be changed" but "what has changed is the sacred aura around the papacy," that has been slightly lost over the last two centuries.
The role of the pope "needs to be rethought," said the 79-year-old cardinal.
With the increasing secularization of Europe and many of the world's Catholics "on the other side of the world in the southern hemisphere," for Kasper the next pope should be a man of "charisma who knows how to draw the faithful. A true shepherd of the people, but also a pastor who can lead the Church".
The next papacy will be "a new challenge," he said.
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